Crippled Carnage Wild Game Recovery

01/23/2025

Hope everyone gets a chance to hunt in snow here in our area of Northwest FLORIDA!! What an experience for many who may never get the chance to go out of town. 🦌

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas y’all

“So God made a working dog.

God said,

I need something whose nose is so cold that it could find something that doesn’t exist. That when all hope was gone. There was still a chance.

Something with a nose so cold it could show me the way when it could not be seen. Getting me where I need to be.

So god made a working dog.

God said I need something that wakes everyday with the wag of a tail. I need something that when all else fails in the world, I’ll have loyalty, compassion and reassurance.

God said I need something I must raise, train, feed, bond with and work. Over and over again. And when duty calls we must load up and go. And go. And go.

So God made a working dog.

God said I need something that when even the coldest trail seems impossible, a four legged friend might show me the way. Never stopping sometimes until made to, and even then not wanting to.

God said I need something that trusts me and then teaches me to trust it. And when I do not believe it to be true, I must trust and pursue. Leading me deep into places I would’ve never seen had I not trusted and followed.

So God made a working dog.”

-Joey McDonald

11/28/2024

Just so you know…

11/24/2024

Another proof of life sent to me today. Another good buck. This one we had permission to track onto private land, but ended up going further.

11/23/2024

Proof of life. We went after this one last weekend. Possible gut shot. Lamar wanted nothing to do with this track from the start. He kept looking at me, asking “are you sure you want me to progress forward?” And I, with pressure from the hunter, kept pressing him. We kept finding more blood, and more blood. And finally i had to break the news to him. I don’t think this deer is fatally wounded. That’s not what anyone wants to hear. Certainly not on a buck like this in this location. I even had a second dog come in the next day and double check. They came to the same conclusion. And just today the hunter sent me this. He’s alive and back.

11/23/2024

11/18/2024

“The Glamorous Life of a Big Game Tracker"

I’ve been seeing this surface with ignorance, it actually made me chuckle, it was funny but and gave April and I a second wind to rise and grind and press repeat. If you know you know…and I’m pretty sure everyone in this coalition can relate…good toilet read before you hit the lines!

[Scene: A cozy living room with a couch, a coffee table littered with hunting magazines, and a television playing nature documentaries. APRIL, a seasoned big game tracking Teckel, who is lounging on the couch when ANT, a hunter with a misguided perception about trackers, bursts in.]

ANT: So, April, when are you cashing in on all that big game tracking? I hear you hounds and handlers make a fortune chasing down wounded deer and whatnot. Must be nice to get rich off of desperate hunters.

APRIL: (raising jaws ) Oh, absolutely, Ant. You’re right. I’ll just send my bank account a “Thank You” note for all the riches rolling in from tracking down high shoulder shots with no projectile for 2 miles.

ANT: Seriously, though, it sounds like a dream job!

APRIL: Oh, for sure! Who wouldn’t want to take off from work spend their weekends trudging through the mud, briars while dodging poison ivy, and navigating through a buffet of blood-sucking ticks and briars thicker then oatmeal ? It’s like a five-star resort, but with more calluses and fewer amenities.

ANT: But don’t you get paid for it?

APRIL: (Growl) Paid? Honey, the only thing I’m raking in is a sliver of deer liver while my teammate Matt goes through his loose change in his 2016 F-150 ash tray for gas money to take the 90 minute trip at 4am one way. You think hunters are showering us with cash after we drag their sorry butts through the nastiest cover known to mankind? Please. It’s more like, “Here’s a bottle of water and some toilet paper to mark the evidence. Stop worrying about the dam daggers of thorns, I’m into the death pheromone you have to keep up so we can run this deer down and finish him so I can get my tug. .” Get ready for a craw through hell and back. My human father-teammate wants to restart me at the original point off loss 500 yard behind us but not back the same trail silly he doesn’t cross contaminate the line that took you 5 hrs to travel 800 yards and me 15 min and only because I had to work through all the evidence you stepped on with your boots and spread aimlessly through the forest.

ANT: (chuckles) Okay, but what about all the gear? That stuff must be expensive, right?

APRIL: (smirking) Oh, absolutely! Nothing says “financial independence” like the 800 dollar vet bill to remove the 1/4 inch thorn lodged in my gum line. tracking collar, dog food, time away from my 4 human family memebers 14 and younger and my dads endless supply of first aid kits for both the deer and myself. It’s practically a goldmine!

ANT: (laughs) So, what’s the point then?

APRIL: (leaning back on the lazy boy recliner) The point, dear Ant, is that I do this because I love it. The thrill of the chase, the satisfaction of helping a hunter recover their game, and the chance to spend time in nature. You know, all those things that don’t come with a price tag.

ANT: So, you’re saying you’re in it for the love, not the money?

APRIL: Exactly! Who needs financial stability when you can have the joy of battling finding a deer for a hunter and only getting 30 seconds to chew on MY recovey, It’s like a twisted version of a scavenger hunt, but with more sweat and less candy. I mean who else works for a sliver of liver and a cozy spot next to my 7 year old human friend at bedtime.

ANT: You’ve got a point there!

APRIL: So, next time you think about the glamour of being a big game tracker, remember: It’s not all dollar signs and monster trophies. Sometimes it’s just you, my handler human , and the good company that joins you down the line who values the recovery or the closure that comes with knowing you might see that elusive beast once again.

With sloppy kisses,

April
(Written by Matt Kass)

11/13/2024

One from this past weekend 🦌

11/09/2024

Great read! And great recovery

Booner Buck that was found by the hound yesterday!

Sorry I'm so far behind on posting recovery pics and stories. Team Jewel is averaging 3-4 hrs sleep a night the past four days, with a lot of drive time on the road. Days like that will likely continue on the next couple weeks.

Hunters take note to what I'm about day here. When you do everything right after the shot, you will likely recovery your deer! This hunter knew his shot was a touch back and low the evening he had shot it. The hunter simply backed out and did nothing that night as far as tracking. The next morning, a couple hours after daylight the deer was tracked. The blood trail was very sparse, fortunately the hunter knew it was best to mark the blood trail with TP along the way. Unfortunately the blood trail stopped approximately 100 yards within the woods, this was when the call was made to Team Jewel.

Team Jewel arrived approximately 20 some hours post shot. I was amazed at the nicely marked blood trail. Anyhow The hunter and Team Jewel walked to the point of loss (POL) to start there. Gary harnessed Jewel while I said the prayer before we began. With the high five between Gary and Jewel, we were off! The start seemed somewhat slow with Jewel circling and circling slowly making her way towards a large shoulder high w**d and brushy area. Again this hunter was wise and had got permission to go on that property BEFORE Team Jewel arrived. Anyhow the hunter and myself remained at the POL watching Gary and Jewel eventually going into that w**dy/brushy area! Approximately 120-150 yards within the dense jungle of briars, tree tops, and tall grass Gary yelled back, "I think Jewel found something you're looking for!"
Those words from Gary certainly made one sick and very worried hunter happier than a pig in mud! What a relief and what a trophy!

Hunters trust me when I say THE WAIT is incredibly important during the rut. Team Jewel has jumped a lot of deer lately that were 12-24 hrs post shot! Hunters you have to wait longer than a hr if a deer runs out of sight after it's shot! I've said it before in the past, but bucks during the rut are like supercharged armored tanks! A buck will chase a hot doe until his last drop of blood leaves his body. I have actually seen bucks chasing does with their intestines dragging on the ground! Think about that! Please WAIT after the shot. Also keep in mind the words of Fred Bear. Be sure of your shot. Nothing is more expensive than regret!

11/02/2024

We are back in town and ready to track. Give us a call/text if you need us 🦌 🩸 🐕
☎️ 850-529-6738-Brittany
☎️850-982-4253-John

10/27/2024

Hunter will see this one again. Lamar wasn’t happy about it. It’s so hot and so dry. We need a little rain and cooler weather. We may take a track or 2 today, and then taking the week off. We will be available again next weekend 🦌 🩸🐕

10/26/2024

First one of the season for us. Nothing better than a simple and quick recovery to build confidence 🦌 🩸 🐕

10/19/2024

Hey yall.
I will be unavailable Nov 3-10. We’ll be headed back to Kentucky.
Kaley will be available some and Brittany with Crippled Carnage Wild Game Recovery and we have some other folks we can get you in contact with if needed.

10/12/2024

Alabama opens up in just a couple days, Florida in a couple weeks. Just a few friendly reminders:
🦌We do NOT charge for tracking services, however we may ask for a hoof or 2 for future training purposes.
🦌 If in doubt, BACK OUT. Call us. Even if there’s no blood. Don’t muck it up.
🦌 We need property owner’s permission to track on private property. If the track crosses property lines, we have to stop and will only resume after speaking to property owners.
🦌 Do not contact us if you have broken any hunting regulations for your area. You will be added to a Do Not Track For list. We represent a community of trackers and will not jeopardize our dogs hard work or handlers time for you.